Piedmont Wind Symphony Presents Hops & Horn Featuring CORolina Horn Quartet

Four of North Carolina’s leading horn performers and educators join the UNCSA Horn Choir for an intimate evening of chamber music at Footnote Coffee & Cocktails

Piedmont Wind Symphony (PWS) begins its 2026–27 Chamber Series with Hops & Horns on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at Footnote Coffee & Cocktails in downtown Winston-Salem. The performance features the CORolina Horn Quartet, bringing together four of North Carolina’s leading horn performers and educators for an evening pairing exceptional chamber music with the relaxed atmosphere of one of downtown Winston-Salem’s gathering spaces. The evening will also feature a special performance by the UNCSA Horn Choir, offering audiences the opportunity to hear the instrument expand from the intimacy of a quartet to the rich, resonant sound of a larger horn ensemble.

Founded in 2024, CORolina comprises Travis Bennett of Western Carolina University, Dakota Corbliss of Appalachian State University, Abigail Pack of UNC Greensboro, and Maria Serkin of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The quartet explores the breadth of the horn repertoire through established works, new interpretations of familiar music, works by underrepresented composers, and new commissions.

CORolina has performed at universities and conferences throughout the region and beyond, including the Southeast Regional Horn Conference and International Horn Symposium, and is scheduled to appear as a guest performer at the 2027 International Women’s Brass Conference. Hops & Horns also introduces audiences to a collaboration that will continue later in Piedmont Wind Symphony’s season, when CORolina joins the full ensemble on June 5, 2027, to premiere Gina Gillie’s Concerto for Horn Quartet and Wind Ensemble as part of PWS’s Maslanka’s Symphony No. 4 concert.

“Horn quartets create rich, homogeneous soundscapes across a wonderfully diverse range of musical genres,” said Mark A. Norman, Artistic Director and Conductor of Piedmont Wind Symphony. “With the extraordinary talents of the members of the CORolina Horn Quartet, our audiences will experience an exceptional example of this unique and beautiful medium. PWS is especially fortunate that several members of the quartet regularly perform with us, and I know everyone in attendance will be amazed by the artistry of this internationally recognized ensemble.”

Unlike a traditional concert-hall performance, Hops & Horns invites audiences to settle in with a drink and experience professional musicians at close range. With CORolina and the UNCSA Horn Choir sharing the evening, audiences will experience the horn in several different settings—from the precision and individual voices of chamber music to the expansive sound created by a larger ensemble. The performance reflects Piedmont Wind Symphony’s broader effort to create welcoming entry points into professional wind and chamber music while offering longtime concertgoers a different way to experience the musicians and instruments they know.

About the Artists

CORolina Horn Quartet

Founded in the fall of 2024, CORolina is a quartet comprising four horn professors from across North Carolina: Travis Bennett (Western Carolina University), Dakota Corbliss (Appalachian State University), Abigail Pack (UNC Greensboro), and Maria Serkin (University of North Carolina School of the Arts). The ensemble performs a wide range of repertoire, including new interpretations of familiar works, established horn repertoire, music by underrepresented composers, and new commissions. CORolina has been featured in recitals at multiple universities, the Southeast Regional Horn Conference, and the International Horn Symposium and will appear as a guest performer at the International Women’s Brass Conference in 2027.

Dr. Travis Bennett joined the faculty of Western Carolina University in 2006, where he teaches horn, conducts the Horn Choir, and coaches chamber music ensembles. From 2022–2024, he served as Assistant Dean of the David Orr Belcher College of Fine & Performing Arts, and in 2016–2017, Dr. Bennett was Co-Director of the School of Music. He is an active chamber and orchestral musician, performing regularly with the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet and the Asheville Symphony, as well as other regional ensembles. He has served as a guest artist and teacher in Argentina and has performed with the SMBQ in China, Germany, the Czech Republic, Jamaica, Hungary, Romania, Mexico, and South Africa. He serves as the Area Representative of North Carolina for the International Horn Society and has hosted the Southeast Horn Workshop twice (2009, 2019).

Dr. Dakota Corbliss is Assistant Professor of French Horn and Director of Graduate Studies in Music Performance in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University. As an ensemble performer, Dr. Corbliss is Fourth Horn in the Western Piedmont Symphony and performs frequently with regional orchestras including the North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Augusta Symphony, Virginia Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, and Long Bay Symphony. He has also performed with New World Symphony, Miami City Ballet, the United States Navy Band Southwest, the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, and South Florida Philharmonic.

An avid chamber musician, Dr. Corbliss helped found Vice City Brass, a collective of brass and electronic musicians aiming to bridge the generational gap between the past, present, and future. He also co-founded PIVOT, a horn and saxophone duo dedicated to promoting perspective shifts among audiences. Dr. Corbliss serves as Chief Operations Officer for the Brass Institutes of America and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Music from the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Tech.

Dr. Maria Serkin is Associate Professor of Horn at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she leads a dynamic studio of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Recipient of UNCSA’s 2023–2024 Excellence in Teaching Award, she is passionate about mentoring the next generation of artists, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in orchestras, academia, and arts administration worldwide. Each summer, she serves on the faculty of the International Chamber Music Academy in Ochsenhausen, Germany.

As a performer, Dr. Serkin has held principal horn positions with the Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and Charlottesville Symphony and has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Spoleto Festival USA, and Boston Early Music Festival, among others. Her recent collaborations include CORolina, the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Charlotte Symphony, Palm Beach Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and multiple solo premieres at the International Horn Symposium. Dr. Serkin earned degrees from the Eastman School of Music and New England Conservatory and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

Dr. Abigail Pack, Professor of Horn at UNC Greensboro and a native of Roanoke, Virginia, received her training from East Carolina University (BMA), University of Iowa (MM), and University of Wisconsin–Madison (DMA), where she was a Bolz Teaching Fellow. Before assuming her current position at UNCG, she served on the horn faculty at James Madison University from 2001 to 2008 and has also held teaching positions at Knox College, Western State College, and in the Gunnison Watershed School District.

An active orchestral and chamber musician, Dr. Pack has held positions with numerous ensembles and currently performs with organizations including the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Southwest Chamber Orchestra, Greensboro Opera, Amici Musicorum, and Opera Roanoke Orchestra. Her performances and presentations have taken her to the International Horn Symposium, Midwest Clinic, Western International Band Clinic, American Band College, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and other national and international venues. She is a founding member of System 5 Brass Quintet and CORolina Horn Quartet and can be heard on the Centaur label.

UNCSA Horn Choir

The UNCSA Horn Choir brings together horn students from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for ensemble performance and collaboration under the direction of horn faculty member Dr. Maria Serkin. Their appearance at Hops & Horns expands the evening’s exploration of the horn, showcasing the instrument’s depth, versatility, and remarkable range of color in a larger ensemble setting.

Event Information

Hops & Horns

Featuring the CORolina Horn Quartet and UNCSA Horn Choir

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.

Footnote Coffee & Cocktails

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Tickets: $10–$25

About Piedmont Wind Symphony

Founded in 1989, Piedmont Wind Symphony has been at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of classical music. As one of the few non-military professional wind symphonies in the United States, PWS is committed to innovating and evolving wind ensemble music. Through its dedication to artistic excellence, creative programming, education, and community engagement, Piedmont Wind Symphony continues to make wind music relevant and inspiring for audiences throughout Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, and beyond.

Piedmont Wind Symphony Contact:

Brianna Cantwell

Executive Director

Piedmont Wind Symphony

cantwellb@pwsymphony.org | (336) 995-0464

###